Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Photography

John Healey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on photography at Ministerial (a) events, (b) visits, and (c) meetings in each month since October 2022.

Alex Burghart: These tasks are undertaken by internal staff as part of their routine work and everyday roles. They do not get billed separately. This service comes at no extra cost to the taxpayer.

Cision: Contracts

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the contract agreed by his Department with Cision Group Ltd on 13 October 2023, procurement reference CCZZ23A23, if he will publish the Schedule 20 annexes specifying the services to be delivered under each of those contracts.

Alex Burghart: The schedule 20 annexes are publicly available on Contracts Finder and can be found at the following link:https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/68ce58d9-d0da-4ac0-8c56-214f318fbb56

House of Lords Reform Act 2014

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to amend the House of Lords Reform Act 1999 to restore the position of hereditary peers.

Alex Burghart: The Government has no plans to amend the House of Lords Reform Act 1999.

Office for Veterans' Affairs

Peter Dowd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the long term priorities for the Office for Veterans' Affairs are.

Johnny Mercer: This Government is committed to making the UK the best country in the world to be a veteran. The Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) sits at the heart of government in the Cabinet Office and is responsible for coordinating and driving forward work across the UK Government to support our veteran community. In the long term, the OVA is committed to continue transforming and improving services for veterans, making sure veterans and their families have the support and services they need, whilst using data and research to better understand, and deliver for, this community. The ten-year Strategy for our veterans (2018) sets out the UK Government's vision, and can be accessed online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategy-for-our-veterans

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fisheries

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support fishing communities.

Mark Spencer: Fisheries are a priority for this Government. Since the fishing sector rightly want stocks to be there for the future, sustainability is critical to the economy and the environment. We are showing our support in a variety of ways. We secured quota uplifts, amounting to £146 million by 2026, due to leaving the EU. We have started to develop Fisheries Management Plans which allow more bespoke approaches to managing our stocks, including those that were badly protected by the Common Fisheries Policy. This will help ensure economic, environmental and social sustainability in the long term. We have opened new sustainable fisheries for spurdog and bluefin tuna, and have responded to requests to improve the management of crawfish. Additionally, the £100 million UK Seafood Fund is bringing long-term economic benefits to coastal communities.

Sustainable Farming Incentive: Mid Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications for the sustainable farming initiative have been started but not completed by farms in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Mark Spencer: The Sustainable Farming Incentive has a rolling application window and as of 05 December there are currently 20 farm businesses who have started an application but not submitted yet for the Mid Bedfordshire Constituency.

White Fish: Conservation

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of an (a) partial and (b) full exemption for (i) charter boats and (ii) recreational anglers of a future ban on pollock fishing following the recommendation of such a ban by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas.

Mark Spencer: On 30th June 2023 the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) issued zero-catch advice for pollack 6 and 7 for the first time. In the annual UK-EU negotiations on fishing opportunities, our approach to negotiating catch limits is based on the best available scientific advice, balanced with commitments to economic sustainability and providing opportunities for the UK fleet, consistent with the objectives of the Fisheries Act and Joint Fisheries Statement. We are aware of the significant potential implications of a zero-catch fishery for pollack. In line with our approach to other zero-advice stocks, we negotiated an allocation of pollack to address unavoidable bycatch by the UK fleet, to avoid choking related fisheries. While the evidence base is limited, the ICES advice for pollack in area 6 and 7 notes that recreational catch is likely to be a large component of the total catch. Further work is needed to explore the potential to reduce pressure on the stock through management of the recreational fishery, underpinned by data and the best available scientific evidence. This is in line with our commitments under the Joint Fisheries Statement, including ensuring that recreational sea fishing is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. As this is a jointly managed stock with the EU, we have committed to take forward work on this important issue in the Specialised Committee on Fisheries as a matter of urgency in 2024. We will work closely with the recreational sector throughout this process.

Dangerous Dogs

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which professions have legal authority to (a) assess and (b) identify dogs suspected of being an American Bully XL.

Mark Spencer: During the transition period, it is up to owners to identify whether they think their dog may be in scope of the XL Bully ban and whether they wish to apply for a Certificate of Exemption.  We recommend taking a precautionary approach. If they are unsure if their dog is a XL Bully or whether any puppies may grow up to be of this dog type, owners should comply with the relevant requirements and restrictions as they come into force. From 1 February 2024 it will be a criminal offence to own an XL Bully dog in England and Wales without a Certificate of Exemption. Dog Legislation Officers are responsible for identifying prohibited breed types for the purposes of Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and enforcing the ban once it comes into force. If the police find an XL Bully dog after the transition period that does not have a Certificate of Exemption, the police can seize the dog, take the owner to court for a criminal prosecution, and the court may decide to euthanise the dog if the court decides that the risks the dog poses to public safety are not acceptable.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Argentina: Diplomatic Relations

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of extracting (a) oil and (b) gas from around the Falkland Islands on diplomatic relations with Argentina.

David Rutley: The natural resources of the Falkland Islands belong to the people of the Falkland Islands and their right to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit is an integral part of the Falkland Islanders' right of self-determination. We will continue to proactively defend the Falkland Islanders' rights in all international fora.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2023 to Question 2123 on Gaza: Humanitarian Aid, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the ability of agencies to distribute the aid to be provided with the £30 million in humanitarian funding committed by his Department for Gaza.

David Rutley: We welcome the recent pause in fighting as an opportunity to get hostages out and will continue to get aid into Gaza on a sustained basis now that the truce has ended. We continue to press both at the UN and directly with Israel for unhindered humanitarian access and substantive, repeated humanitarian pauses that allow aid to enter and British nationals to leave. UK humanitarian funding will continue to support trusted partners provide humanitarian assistance and negotiate humanitarian access in Gaza. The UK will continue, in conjunction with our international partners, to advocate internationally on humanitarian priorities.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Security

Sarah Olney: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many security passes for his Department have been reported as (a) missing and (b) stolen in the last 12 months.

David Rutley: The FCDO takes the protection of information extremely seriously. The FCDO has robust controls in place to manage risk to its assets including data and mobile devices.The departmental security unit records and considers whether an investigation is appropriate for each reported loss from the Department. Any security pass reported as lost is immediately deactivated.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on increasing the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

David Rutley: We welcome the recent pause in fighting as an opportunity to get hostages out and will continue to get aid into Gaza on a sustained basis now that the truce has ended. We continue to press both at the UN and directly with Israel for unhindered humanitarian access and substantive, repeated humanitarian pauses that allow aid to enter and British nationals to leave. UK humanitarian funding will continue to support trusted partners provide humanitarian assistance and negotiate humanitarian access in Gaza. The UK will continue, in conjunction with our international partners, to advocate internationally on humanitarian priorities.

Gaza: Fuels

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on increasing fuel supplies entering Gaza.

David Rutley: We are deeply concerned about the fuel shortages in Gaza. Fuel is necessary to allow humanitarian organisations to deliver assistance, power hospitals and operate desalinisation plants. The Government of Israel must allow sufficient aid and fuel into Gaza to meet the needs of civilians. We understand that some 282,000 litres of fuel have entered Gaza from the Rafah crossing in Egypt since the 15th November, but significantly more is needed. The UK continues to press our Israeli counterparts to adhere to International Humanitarian Law and allow sustained humanitarian access.

Gaza: Humanitarian Pauses

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps he is taking to secure an extension to the humanitarian pause in Gaza.

David Rutley: The pause that ended last week was a crucial step towards providing relief to the families of the hostages and addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We have said repeatedly we'd like to see an extension. UK humanitarian funding will continue to support trusted partners provide humanitarian assistance and negotiate humanitarian access in Gaza. The UK will continue, in conjunction with our international partners, to advocate internationally on humanitarian priorities. These include respect for International Humanitarian Law, the need for fuel, humanitarian access, humanitarian pauses; and an increase in the types of assistance. We are urgently exploring all diplomatic options to increase this, including urging Israel to open other existing land border crossings such as Kerem Shalom.

Ghana: LGBT+ People

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his Ghanaian counterpart on proposed legislation to criminalise LGBT (a) relationships, (b) displays of affection, (c) organisations and (d) materials in Ghana.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK continues to monitor the Private Members Bill moving through the Ghanaian parliament, which would further criminalise consensual same-sex relationships and undermine the human rights and freedoms of those perceived as being LGBT+. The UK routinely encourages Ghana to confirm its opposition to all forms of discrimination and uphold the human rights provisions enshrined in Ghana's Constitution, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the principles of both the African and Commonwealth Charters.I [Minister Mitchell] raised this most recently on two different occasions in June 2023, and with the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee during my visit to Ghana in December 2022. The former Foreign Secretary raised the topic during his visit to Ghana in July 2023. We continue to consider options in the event the Bill is approved by Parliament and granted assent.

Ghana: LGBT+ People

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with the Government of Ghana on its proposed legislation to criminalise LGBT+ relationships, displays of affection, organisations and materials.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK continues to monitor the Private Members Bill, which would further criminalise consensual same-sex relationships and undermine the human rights and freedoms of those perceived as being LGBT+. The UK routinely encourages Ghana to confirm its opposition to all forms of discrimination and uphold the human rights provisions enshrined in Ghana's Constitution, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the principles of both the African and Commonwealth Charters.I [Minister Mitchell] raised this most recently on two different occasions in June 2023, and with the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee during my visit to Ghana in December 2022. The former Foreign Secretary raised the topic during his visit to Ghana in July 2023. We continue to consider options in the event the Bill is approved by Parliament and granted assent.

India: Human Rights and Religious Freedom

Ruth Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in Manipur, India on (a) human rights and (b) the right to freedom of religion or belief in the last month.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government is committed to defending human rights and promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). We have a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship, including human rights and FoRB. During his visit in May, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, discussed FoRB with the Government of India, leaders of faith groups and others, and raised the situation in Manipur with the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs.

Bahrain: Press Freedom

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2023 to Question 317 on Bahrain: Human Rights, what reports his Department has received on the ability of (a) civil society organisations and (b) journalists who have received support from the Gulf Strategy Fund to (i) operate independently from and (ii) voice opposition to the Bahraini authorities.

David Rutley: The FCDO remains committed to supporting reform in Bahrain, including through projects delivered via the Gulf Strategy Fund. We work closely with implementing partners to ensure that projects deliver results and value for money, including in the case of the two projects in question which provided training for a) 38 members of civil societies; and b) 26 members of the Bahrain Journalists Association. Beneficiaries of both projects provided positive feedback on the effectiveness of the training provided.

Bahrain: Gulf Strategy Fund

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2023 to Question 317 on Bahrain: Human Rights, what data his Department holds on the support that (a) civil society organisations and (b) journalists have received through the Gulf Strategy Fund.

David Rutley: Information about Gulf Strategy Fund (GSF) projects delivered by the British Embassy in Bahrain in FY 22/23 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/official-development-assistance-oda-fcdo-international-programme-spend-objectives-2022-to-2023/fcdo-gulf-strategy-fund-gsf#:~:text=Supports%20delivery%20of%20a%20safe,around%20the%20World%20Cup%2022. The FCDO remains committed to supporting reform in Bahrain, including through projects delivered via the GSF.

Israel: Palestinians

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of Save the Children's (a) report entitled Defenceless: The impact of Israeli military detention system on Palestinian children, published in 2020 and (b) press release on the treatment of Palestinian children detained by the Israeli military, published on 10 July 2023.

David Rutley: We remain concerned about Israel's extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and either charge or release detainees. We continue to make representations to the Israeli authorities on the troubling high number of Palestinian children who are not informed of their legal rights, in contravention of Israel's own regulations.

Iran: Arms Trade

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that money repaid to Iran for the non-delivery of military hardware was spent on humanitarian purposes.

David Rutley: The International Military Services (IMS) debt was settled in full compliance with UK and international sanctions and all legal obligations. Whilst the arrangement remains commercially confidential, HMG can confirm that the funds were ring-fenced solely for humanitarian purposes and mechanisms were put in place to ensure this was delivered.

International Criminal Court: Finance

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department plans to provide additional funding to the International Criminal Court to help ensure that it can (a) fulfil its mandate and (b) investigate the conduct of all parties in Israel and Gaza.

David Rutley: The UK is one of the major funders of the Court through its annual budget and works to ensure the Court has the resources it needs to operate effectively. Additionally, the UK provides practical support including witness protection; sentence enforcement; and secondments. This year we also provided additional funding to the Prosecutors Trust Fund for Advanced Technology and Specialized Capacity, the Trust Fund for Deployed Personnel and the Trust Fund for Victims. Funding earmarked for individual investigations is forbidden under the financial regulations of the Court.

South Sudan: Violence

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of recent violence in Leer, South Sudan.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are aware of the recent incident in Leer and are monitoring the situation carefully. The UK supports the UN Arms Embargo and Sanctions Regime on South Sudan which prevents the flow of weapons to armed groups, subsequently reducing the violence and killing of innocent people across the country. At the UN Security Council in March 2023, we expressed concern about the escalation of subnational conflict across South Sudan and called on the South Sudanese authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable and end impunity. We continue to urge the Government of South Sudan to implement their Peace Agreement, including completing the unification of forces which is necessary to break the cycle of subnational violence.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Derek Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made representations to the Government of Pakistan on the safety of Afghan refugees in that country who are eligible for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme.

Leo Docherty: The Department, including the Foreign Secretary and the British High Commissioner to Islamabad, has made such representations, and will continue to do so. We have received assurances from the Government of Pakistan that Afghans being supported in Pakistan under the Afghans Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will remain safe in Pakistan while they await relocation to the UK. An MOD-led operation has relocated over 1,500 ARAP-eligible Afghans to the UK since September.

Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Government has sought legal advice on its responsibilities under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK acceded to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1970. The Convention provides that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or war, is a crime under international law. Whether or not a determination of genocide is made, the UK is committed to work aimed at preventing and responding to atrocity crimes (genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing) and utilises all appropriate levers to do so, including early warning and monitoring, diplomatic and multilateral engagement, development and programmatic support, and defence and law enforcement capabilities.

Timor-Leste: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many British nationals requested consular assistance in East Timor in each of the last five years.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The British Embassy in Indonesia provides remote consular support to British Nationals in Timor-Leste. Our current case management system does not enable us to isolate all consular assistance cases from within East Timor. British Nationals planning to visit or already in Timor-Leste can visit the FCDO travel advice pages for Timor-Leste and sign up to email alerts.

China: Indo-pacific Region

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help tackle Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Integrated Review Refresh 2023 reaffirmed the UK's long-term commitment to the Indo-Pacific. While China is an important source of aid, trade and investment for many countries, including those in the Indo-Pacific, China also poses potential risks. We are therefore deepening cooperation and increasing alignment with core allies and a broad group of partners to strengthen collective security, balance and compete where necessary, and push back against behaviours that undermine international law, violate human rights, or seek to coerce or create dependencies.

Sierra Leone: Violence

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help de-escalate violence in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK condemns the violence which took place on Sunday 26 November. We welcomed President Bio's call for unity and commitment to hold those responsible to account, and the statements from all political parties denouncing the violence. We continue to follow the situation closely and to engage Government, political parties and other stakeholders on the response to the 26 November events.Following potential discrepancies in the electoral process in June, the UK continues to work with all stakeholders implementing the commitments made in the post-election peace dialogue, and to support a democratic, peaceful and prosperous Sierra Leone.

Hamas: Hostage Taking

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on CCTV footage of hostages held by Hamas in Shifa Hospital.

David Rutley: We cannot provide a running commentary on intelligence concerning hostage negotiations as they are highly sensitive and ongoing, but we continue to engage closely with international partners to secure the release of hostages, including the US, Qatar, Egypt, Israel, and others. The Foreign Secretary visited Israel on 23 November and met Prime Minister Netanyahu, his counterpart Foreign Minister Cohen and other key interlocutors to discuss the Israel/Gaza conflict and our shared goal of releasing all hostages.

Israel: Palestinians

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with the Palestinian authorities on negotiations for an end to the crisis.

David Rutley: On 24 and 25 November 2023, the Foreign Secretary visited the Occupied Palestinian Territories and met the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Mohammed Shtayyeh, Foreign Minister Riad Malki and President Mahmoud Abbas. The Foreign Secretary set out the UK's support for the Palestinian Authority and a two-state solution. He discussed with all three the need to open more access points for humanitarian aid to Gaza and to take more precautions with regarding civilians and settler violence. In the longer term, the Foreign Secretary expressed the desire to move towards a peaceful Palestinian leadership as soon as is practicable and the steps required to reach this.

Ministry of Justice

Woodhill Prison: Complaints

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of adjudications at HMP Woodhill have been outstanding in the each of the last 12 months.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of outstanding adjudications at HMP Woodhill.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on (a) how many occasions and (b) what dates the operational routine at HMP Woodhill has been suspended to facilitate the clearing of outstanding adjudications since 1 January 2023.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the number of outstanding adjudications at HMP Woodhill on (a) staff morale, (b) control of prisoners and (c) effectiveness of operational response to the Urgent Notification issued on 30 August 2023.

Edward Argar: The adjudication process, which is set out in Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 05/2018 Prison adjudications policy Prison adjudications policy: PSI 05/2018 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) provides guidance to staff on prisoner discipline procedures including Minor Reports, and handling the recovery of monies from prisoners to pay for any damage they cause to prisons or prison property. The number and proportion of outstanding adjudication in the each of the last 12 months at HMP Woodhill are provided in the table below:Month/YearNumber of Outstanding Adjudications (running totals)Total Number of Adjudications (running totals)Proportion of Outstanding Adjudications (%)November 202237952173%December 202236556864%January 202311537131%February 202315138040%March 202312143428%April 202330552458%May 202324445853%June 202312539532%July 202313940035%August 202323752145%September 202336156864%October 202320337554%To help reduce the number of outstanding adjudications at HMP Woodhill the following steps have been taken: The population has been reduced by 190 prisoners in order to relieve the pressure on the limited staffing resources at HMP Woodhill. The effect of this will also enable staffing levels to escort prisoners to adjudications, and release reporting officers and witnesses which will improve the level of completions. Many adjournments are caused by staff not being able to be released to attend. Monthly ‘adjudication action days’ have been implemented, where wings are set up to simultaneously conduct remanded adjudications for prisoners across four units. This can conclude approximately 80 adjudications in a single day. With improved staffing comes improved use of sanctions within the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) process which allows staff credible alternatives to use the IEP system for prisoners on low level poor behaviour as set out in the Incentives Policy Framework: Incentives Policy Framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) There has been no requirement to suspend the operational running of the establishment to address the backlog of adjudications. The timeline for staff sickness has seen a significant reduction over the last 12 months at HMP Woodhill, with a 33% reduction since the same time last year. Additionally, staff morale can also be assessed through resignation rates which have also reduced significantly over the last 12 months, with a 43 % reduction since the previous quarter. Local data demonstrates a reduction in all incidents of indiscipline. Prisoner on prisoner assaults have reduced 23% from same time period in 2022/23 and assaults on staff are 34% lower than same time period in 2022/23. The prison has already taken the following steps to drive improvement:Received support from the Standards Coaching Team, which provides prisons with advice to improve standards in priority locations.Temporarily reduced capacity to free up resources and support stabilityBeen supported by a range of internal and external bodies to improve leadership and provide safety related training.Employed two New Colleague Mentors, dedicated to helping new starters settle into working in a prison in their first weeks and months in post.

Constitutional Reform Act 2005

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will (a) repeal the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and (b) re-establish the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords.

Mike Freer: The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 provided for the Supreme Court to assume the jurisdiction of the Appellate Committee, established the independent Judicial Appointments Commission, and shared responsibilities for the administration of justice between the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice. The Act is therefore the statutory basis of a broad sweep of constitutional matters, and it continues to underpin relationships with the judicial branch of the state. It is not a current priority to review the arrangements that resulted from the 2005 Act or to assess whether further legislative changes might be necessary. The Supreme Court is rightly held in high esteem not just within the UK but also overseas, and the Lord Chancellor remains committed to maintaining an effective partnership with the judiciary within the legal framework the Act created.

Prison Officers: Labour Turnover

Tahir Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase retention levels of experienced prison officers.

Edward Argar: In late 2021, the Ministry of Justice launched a retention toolkit to help Senior Leaders across HMPPS including Governors/Directors to tackle the main drivers of attrition in their departments and improve retention levels. We are using the data from enhanced exit interviews to better understand why experienced Prison Officers are leaving. We made a significant investment in pay for prison staff through the 2023/24 pay award. This delivered an increase in base pay of at least 7% for all staff between bands 2 to 5 which includes Prison Officers. Since April 2022, we have invested in several new initiatives to increase retention of our employees including Prison Officers. These include a new peer-to-peer learning scheme, the introduction of new staff mentors to support new Prison Officers in their roles, which takes the pressure off both experienced Prison Officers and managers, and a Career Pathways framework to enable staff to identify their development needs and career aspirations. We are also running supervision pilots in two prisons alongside the introduction of new leadership training, which will contribute to supporting career development and retention of experienced officers.

Domestic Abuse: Homicide

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a specific offence of manslaughter caused by coercive and controlling behaviour.

Gareth Bacon: The government has no plans to create a specific offence of manslaughter caused by coercive or controlling behaviour.The common law offence of manslaughter can already cover circumstances where death results from controlling or coercive behaviour or other unlawful acts. A person who intentionally encourages or assists another person to take their own life, including through a course of conduct, may also commit an offence under section 2 of the Suicide Act 1961.

Probation Service: Sick Leave

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many stress-related sick day absences were recorded for probation staff in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

Edward Argar: The quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication covers staffing information, including the number of working days lost for Probation Service staff. The latest publication covers data up to 30 September 2023.Data for the number of probation staff who were absent due to stress-related sickness is provided in table 1 below.Table 1: Number of working days lost due to stress for all Probation Service staff1, 01 January to 31 December 2021-2022 and 01 January to 30 September 2023 (Based on full time equivalence)  Working days lost01 January to 31 December 2021230,76301 January to 31 December 202247,69001 January to 30 September 2023340,547 Notes:1. Includes all staff employed in the Probation Service. A small number of staff in the Probation Service do not have probation grades2. In late June 2021, more than 7,000 staff from private sector Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC) came together with probation staff already in the public sector in the new Probation Service. The increase in the 2022 data is partly accounted for by this increase in staffing.3. Latest published data is up to 30 September 2023 and so 2023 is not a full calendar year.(p) Figures relating to current financial year are provisional and may be subject to change in future iterations of this publication. We are focused on ensuring our staff have the support they need to manage workplace stress, including support for staff and managers such as Occupational Health and the Employee Assistance Programme. Staff are also able to access additional support through staff networks, staff support leads and the HMPPS network of Mental Health Allies. Recruitment and retention remain a priority across the Probation Service and we have injected extra funding of more than £155 million a year to deliver more robust supervision, recruit thousands more staff and reduce caseloads to keep the public safer. The Probation Service is in its second year of a multi-year pay deal for its staff. Salary values of all pay bands will increase each year, targeted at key operational grades to improve a challenging recruitment and retention position. Positively, the Probation Service leaving rate was 9.8% in the 12 months to 30 September 2023, a decrease from the previous 12 months.

Department for Education

Students: Loans

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an estimate of the number of students receiving a minimum loan whose parents are (a) unwilling or (b) unable to provide additional funding to support their cost of living in each of the last five years.

Robert Halfon: The student income and expenditure survey for the 2021/22 academic year provides data from a representative sample of students in England on total student income. The survey does not collect data on, nor estimate, the number of parents or carers who are unwilling or unable to contribute to their child or children’s living costs, but it does show the extent to which students receive financial support from their families, alongside other sources of income. The 2021/22 student income and expenditure survey can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-income-and-expenditure-survey-2021-to-2022.

Childcare: Wellingborough

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the average cost to parents of childcare for a (a) two and (b) three or four year old child for 25 hours per week in Wellingborough constituency.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of childcare providers that have closed in Wellingborough constituency in each of the last five years.

David Johnston: This government is making the largest investment in childcare in England’s history. By the 2027/28 financial year, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education. It will provide hard working parents 30 hours of free childcare per week (38 weeks per year) for children aged 9 months to until they start school. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.As announced in the Spring Budget, the department will substantially uplift the hourly rate paid to local authorities and childcare providers to deliver existing free entitlements offers. In the 2024/25 financial year alone, we will invest over £400 million additional funding to deliver a significant uplift to these rates. This investment builds on the £204 million of additional funding provided in the 2023/24 financial year (paid from September 2023).The department does not hold data for the number of childcare providers that have either opened or closed in the Wellingborough constituency specifically or by individual years.

Department for Education: Advertising

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department spent on advertising campaigns to (a) recruit new teachers and (b) bring retired and former teachers back to teaching in each academic year since 2015.

Damian Hinds: The attached table sets out total spend for teacher recruitment and returners advertising campaigns from the 2015/16 to 2022/23 academic years.The objectives of the teaching advertising campaign are to raise the status of teaching and contribute to overall Initial Teacher Training numbers. Due to the often-lengthy candidate journey from initial consideration through to applying for and starting initial teacher training, several methods are used to assess campaign impact. They include regular brand tracking studies and other market research, econometric modelling to identify and quantify the factors affecting sign ups to the Get Into Teaching service, analysis of the flow of candidates between Get Into Teaching and the Find and Apply services, and tracking of site traffic to the Get Into Teaching website.From financial year 2021/22 onwards, the department incorporated some paid search activity for returners into the recruitment budget. Department total spend for teacher recruitment  (xlsx, 25.0KB)

Special Educational Needs: Training

Tahir Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to introduce mandatory training on (a) learning disabilities and (b) autism for secondary school teachers.

David Johnston: The department considers all teachers as teachers of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), including autism, and is committed to ensuring that all pupils can reach their potential and receive excellent support from their teachers.The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils. To be awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), trainees must demonstrate that they have met all the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. The standards are also used to assess the performance of all teachers with QTS under the School Teachers’ Appraisal Regulations (2012). Therefore, most teachers need to adhere to the standards throughout their careers.The Teachers’ Standards require teachers to adapt teaching to respond to the needs of all pupils, and to have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs.To support all teachers in meeting the Teachers’ Standards, the department is implementing high-quality teacher training reforms which begins with Initial Teacher Training (ITT) and continues as their careers progress. The department’s Universal Services programme, backed by almost £12 million, provides SEND-specific training to the school and college workforce, with over 100,000 professionals undertaking autism awareness training since 2022.The department is exploring opportunities to build teacher expertise through a joint review of the ITT Core Content Framework and Early Career Framework. The review, due to published in early 2024, has an aim to support trainees and Early Career Teachers to be more confident in meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND, including autism, both through engaging with the most up to date evidence to inform their practice, and applying this in the contexts in which they work as new teachers.In May 2023, the department published guidance for accredited ITT providers and their partners, to support the involvement of special schools and alternative provision in ITT. The guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1157879/ITT_-_special_schools_and_alternative_provision_May_2023.pdf#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20produced%20to%20help%20accredited%20Initial,units%2C%20and%20mainstream%20schools%20with%20SEN%20resource%20units.The department’s reforms to teacher recruitment and retention will support all teachers, including teachers of children with SEND.

Education: Monitoring

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department allocates (a) personnel and (b) financial resources to monitoring the political views of educationalists.

Damian Hinds: As part of government business, the department works with a wide range of educationalists in order to inform effective policymaking. The department recognises it is important to listen to and consider a wide variety of views and perspectives.The department does not allocate specific personnel or financial resources to monitor the political views of educationalists.As is standard practice in most organisations, the department does carry out due diligence before engaging experts and speakers on a case-by-case basis.

Pupils: Breakfast Clubs

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the impact of children (a) not eating breakfast and (b) having access to a school breakfast club on educational outcomes.

David Johnston: ​​​The government is committed to continuing support for school breakfasts. The department is investing up to £30 million in its national school breakfast programme until the end of the summer term in 2024. This funding will support up to 2,700 schools in disadvantaged areas and is currently supporting approximately 350,000 children a day from low-income families with free nutritious breakfasts to better support their attainment, wellbeing, and readiness to learn.​Alongside the department’s national programme, there are a number of organisations such as FareShare, Magic Breakfast, Kellogg’s and Greggs providing valuable support to schools with a breakfast provision.​The 2019 breakfast evaluation report conducted by the Education Endowment Foundation found that Year 2 children in breakfast club schools made the equivalent of two months’ additional progress compared to Year 2 children in the business-as-usual control group. Additionally, pupil behaviour improved in breakfast club schools, therefore enhancing their readiness to learn and improving classroom environments.​At the end of this iteration of the programme the department will be working with its delivery partner Family Action to produce and publish an impact report which will include analysis such as how a school breakfast club has impacted children’s educational outcomes.

Social Services: Children

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the CMA's report entitled Children’s social care market study final report, published on 10 March 2022, whether the children’s social care dashboard will identify (a) placement capacity constraints in specific geographical areas and (b) the frequency with which placements do not meet children's needs due to such constraints.

David Johnston: The department is continuing to develop the indicators chosen to measure the outcomes and enablers identified in the National Framework.The Children’s Social Care National Framework and Dashboard consultation response included a long list of indicators that are continuing to be tested, to measure feasibility and reliability for use, including placement measures.The response is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1185764/Children_s_social_care_national_framework_and_dashboard_consultation_response.pdf.The department anticipates publishing an update on the target scope for the first version of the dashboard in the near future.

Department of Health and Social Care

Bipolar Disorder

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to prioritise bipolar disorder within the implementation of his Department's suicide prevention strategy; and if he will set out the measures his Department will put in place to safeguard the lives of people affected by bipolar disorder.

Maria Caulfield: The new suicide prevention strategy for England is a five-year strategy which sets out the Government’s ambition for suicide prevention. It is a multi-sector and cross-Government suicide strategy, with actions from a wide range of organisations that will be delivered over the next few years.The Department has established a £10 million Suicide Prevention Grant Fund to run from 2023 to March 2025 to support voluntary, community or social enterprise organisations, including those who support people with bipolar, to deliver suicide prevention activity.The Department, alongside NHS England, intends to explore opportunities to improve the quality of care for patients with mental health diagnoses and ensure compliance with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. This includes patients diagnosed with affective disorders, including depression and bipolar, who accounted for 42% of all patient suicides in England between 2010 and 2020.

Endometriosis

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the level of awareness of endometriosis among doctors.

Maria Caulfield: The Women’s Health Strategy sets out our ambitions for all healthcare professionals to be well informed about women’s health, and supported to provide women with the best care possible.Women’s health is a core competency for general practitioners (GPs) and is included in the Royal College of General Practitioners’ (RCGP) curriculum for trainee GPs. The RCGP has developed a ‘Women’s Health Library’, which brings together educational resources and guidelines on women’s health topics including on endometriosis.The General Medical Council will introduce the Medical Licensing Assessment from the academic year 2024/2025. This includes women’s health topics such as endometriosis, encouraging a better understanding of endometriosis for doctors starting their careers.

Endometriosis

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of mental health support for people with endometriosis.

Maria Caulfield: We are investing at least £2.3 billion of additional funding a year by March 2024 compared to 2018/19 to expand and transform mental health services in England so that two million more people including those with endometriosis can get the mental health support that they need.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on endometriosis recognises that endometriosis can have a significant physical, sexual, psychological, and social impact and that people with endometriosis may have complex needs and require long-term support. NICE currently recommends assessment of the individual support needs of people with suspected of confirmed endometriosis, considering their circumstances, symptoms, priorities, desire for fertility, aspects of daily living, work and study, cultural background, and their physical, psychosexual and emotional needs.

Dementia: Social Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure the adult social care sector has sufficient (a) capacity and (b) skills to prepare for potential increases in the number of patients with dementia over the next 10 years.

Helen Whately: The Government is fully committed to the 10-year vision for adult social care set out in the People at the Heart of Care white paper.. The social care workforce remains at the heart of our reform plans, and we want them to feel supported, recognised and have opportunities to develop and progress. Our workforce reforms will provide the workforce with more support to develop and progress within their careers and will improve the quality, safety, and personalisation of care.We are supporting care workers to develop their skills through new career pathways. We will soon launch a new Care Workforce Pathway to provide a framework for employers and care workers to develop skills and experience in the sector. This is alongside a new care certificate qualification and range of new funded training schemes.We want all relevant staff to have received appropriate training to provide high quality care to people with dementia, whether in hospital or in the community. The required training needs are set out in the Dementia Training Standards Framework, which is available at the following link:https://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/info-hub/dementia-2015-updated-2018/The Framework was commissioned and funded by the Department and developed in collaboration with the sector. It sets out the essential knowledge and skills and expected learning outcomes applicable across the health and care spectrum.

Palliative Care

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to provide palliative care interventions that help ensure people die in a (a) comfortable and (b) dignified manner.

Helen Whately: As part of the Health and Care Act 2022, palliative care services were added to the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. NHS England published statutory guidance and service specifications for ICBs on palliative and end of life care, to support commissioners to meet their legal duties.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence sets out guidance for care of dying adults in the last days of life which includes recommendations to help healthcare professionals to recognise when a person is entering the last days of life; to communicate and share decisions respectfully with the individuals and those close to them; and to maintain the person's comfort and dignity.

Palliative Care

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure sufficient capacity within palliative care and end of life services in the context of an ageing population.

Helen Whately: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning palliative and end of life services that meet the needs of their population according to local prioritisation and funding. As part of the Health and Care Act 2022, palliative care services were specifically added to the list of services an ICB must commission. NHS England has published statutory guidance for ICBs to support their commissioning of high-quality, accessible palliative and end of life care for all. This includes the completion of an Equalities and Health Inequalities Impact Assessment and action plan. The National Institute for Health and Care Research is investing £3 million in a new Palliative and End of Life Care Policy Research Unit. This will help build the evidence base on palliative and end of life care, as demand increases, to inform policymaking.

Hospices

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she (a) is taking and (b) plans to take steps to review the funding model for hospices for (i) children and young people and (ii) adults.

Helen Whately: A review is not currently taking place. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for determining the level of National Health Service-funded palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, locally, and they are responsible for ensuring that the services they commission meet the needs of their local population.While the NHS has always been required to commission appropriate palliative and end of life care services to meet the reasonable needs of the population, as part of the Health and Care Act 2022, the Government added palliative care services to the list of services an ICB must commission, to clarify this responsibility.In June 2023, NHS England confirmed that it would be renewing the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant for 2024/25, once again allocating £25 million grant funding for children’s hospices in England. NHS England will communicate further details regarding the process for the grant allocations later this year.

Integrated Care Systems

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has had recent discussions with (a) NHS England and (b) Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board on transitioning from a clinical commissioning group to an integrated care system; and if her Department will publish guidance on the lessons learned from this process for other integrated care systems and integrated care boards.

Helen Whately: NHS England led a transition programme to support the transfer from clinical commissioning groups to integrated care boards (ICBs). Throughout the process, there was careful joint planning and progress monitoring between NHS England and the Department. All 42 ICBs were legally established on 1 July 2022 with no significant transition issues reported.There are no plans to publish additional guidance, however the Department, via the National Institute for Health and Care Research Policy Research Programme, has recently commissioned an independent research study to evaluate the implementation of the Health and Care Act 2022.The study aims to understand the different ways that partners within Integrated Care Systems, namely ICBs, integrated care partnerships, and wider system partners) are coming together to design, commission and deliver services, fulfil their duties, and the potential impacts. All study outputs, including interim reports, will be published. An interim report is due in late 2024.

Dementia: Diagnosis

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help improve early diagnosis of dementia.

Helen Whately: In December 2022, the recovery of the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7% was included in the National Health Service priorities and operational planning guidance, as part of the refined mental health objectives for 2023/24. This reinforces the importance of dementia as a key priority for NHS England and provides a clear direction for integrated care boards to support delivery of timely diagnoses within systems. At a national level, the dementia diagnosis rate is currently the highest it has been for three years due to sustained recovery efforts.

Ambulance Services: Greater London

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many calls were responded to by mental health ambulances in London in each of the last 12 months for which data is available.

Helen Whately: No calls were responded to by mental health ambulances in London, as London Ambulance Service (LAS) does not currently have mental health ambulances in operation.The LAS fleet includes six mental health joint response cars which are able to respond to mental health incidents, and LAS expect twelve mental health ambulances to be in operation next year.

Mental Health Services: Ambulance Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mental health ambulances are in service in (a) London and (b) England.

Helen Whately: The Department does not routinely collect data on the numbers of mental health ambulances in service across England.NHS England advises that London Ambulance Service (LAS) have no mental health ambulances in operation. However, six mental health joint response cars are in operation across London. LAS expect twelve mental health ambulances to be in operation next year.

Dental Services: South West

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the accessibility of NHS dentistry for patients with disabilities in (a) Bournemouth East constituency and (b) the South West.

Andrea Leadsom: Community dental services (CDS) offer dental care to vulnerable patients who are referred by a general practitioner or social worker and cannot be treated in a general National Health Service dental practice or may be in locations that cannot access NHS dental services.CDS hospital providers across the South-West region of England provide accessible dental services for patients with additional health needs. In Dorset this provision is run by Somerset Foundation Trust at Dorset County Hospital.

Out of Area Treatment

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 21 April 2023 to Question 180599 on Orthopaedics: Out of Area Treatment, what plans her Department has to support patients who are ineligible for (a) NHS non-emergency transport and (b) the NHS Travel Costs scheme.

Andrew Stephenson: The Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) and non-emergency patient transport services (NEPTS) are kept under review by the National Health Service to ensure simplified and streamlined access. The NHS continues to run these schemes in place to support eligible patients with their travel costs.The most recent NEPTS review from August 2021 is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/urgent-emergency-care/improving-ambulance-services/nepts-review/ The most recent eligibility criteria from 31 May 2022 are available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/non-emergency-patient-transport-services-eligibility-criteria/ The NEPTS Review also identified the important role the HTCS has in supporting patients on low incomes to access NHS treatment. More information on the HTCS is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/healthcare-travel-costs-scheme-htcs/ The Department has no plans in place at present to look at further schemes.

Endometriosis

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) diagnosis of and (b) care for people with endometriosis.

Andrew Stephenson: We are investing £25 million in women’s health hubs, so that women can get better access to care for menstrual problems, including for women with suspected or diagnosed endometriosis. Women’s health hubs will play a key role in improving care for common gynaecological and urogynaecological conditions, with care for endometriosis outlined as a core service within the women’s health hubs.Community diagnostic centres (CDCs) also play an important part in tackling the backlogs of people waiting for diagnostic tests, which includes checks, tests, and scans for patients on gynaecological pathways, including those with endometriosis. As of October 2023, there are 135 CDCs currently operational which have delivered over five million additional tests since July 2021.The elective recovery plan set clear ambitions to eliminate long waits for planned National Health Service treatment. The overall vision is to eradicate waits of longer than a year for elective care by March 2025. We are making good progress on tackling the longest waits; in July 2022 the NHS virtually eliminated waits of over two years and have since worked hard to reduce the number of patients waiting more than 18 months by over 90%, since the September 2021 peak.The NHS will triage patients waiting for elective care, including surgeries, through three key stages. Firstly, through clinical prioritisation, ensuring the order in which patients are seen reflects clinical judgement on need. Secondly, by targeting those waiting the longest, and thirdly by increasing the number of cancer referrals, ensuring those patients who have not yet presented to services are included.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment: Telephone Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of phone-based applications for Personal Independence Payment on people with energy-impaired illnesses.

Jo Churchill: We recognise that even short calls can be stressful or difficult for some claimants with certain types of conditions. We therefore offer a number of alternatives: We can issue a clerical form, known as a PIP1, which claimants can complete and return by post. Claims to PIP can also be made by via the Video Relay Service (via Relay UK) for BSL users if someone can’t hear or speak on the phone, or via email/accessible forms for those that need that as a reasonable adjustment. In addition, we aim to make online applications for PIP available nationally by the end of 2024. We inform claimants of all these channel options on Gov.UK, or if claimants explain their requirements when they speak to a new claim telephony agent.

Social Security Benefits: Poverty

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Autumn Statement 2023, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to Work Capability Assessments on levels of poverty among benefit claimants.

Jo Churchill: It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the impact of the changes to Work Capability Assessments on levels of poverty amongst benefit claimants. We published our response to the consultation on changes to the Work Capability Assessment criteria on 22 November, having carefully considered feedback from disabled people, and people with health conditions, as well as the organisations that represent and support them. From 2025, we will make changes to the WCA that continue to protect those with the most severe conditions, while ensuring those that can work are supported in doing so. Most existing claimants that have already been assessed without work-related requirements, will be able to benefit from our Chance to Work Guarantee. This change will in effect abolish the WCA for the vast majority of this group, and they will be able to move towards work without fear of reassessment. It is right that where people can be supported towards work that they are given that opportunity. There is clear evidence about the importance of work in substantially reducing the risks of poverty - in 2021/22, working age adults living in workless families were seven times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than working age adults in families where all adults work. These measures are focused on improving employment and independent living outcomes for disabled people and people with health conditions and spreading opportunity right across the country so people can fulfil their potential.

Home Office

Migrant Workers: Visas

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department last reviewed the effectiveness of the shortage occupation visa list in meeting the UK's skills needs.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of raising the minimum salary threshold on levels of immigration.

Tom Pursglove: The Shortage Occupation List (SOL) is reviewed regularly by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC,) through extensive consultation with economic sectors. The SOL was updated in August this year with a wider MAC SOL review published in October. The Government is currently considering its response.More broadly, the Government is considering additional measures to address net migration and will announce details of these in due course.

Asylum: Finance

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has taken recent steps to provide financial support to asylum seekers housed in hotels for their voluntary return.

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps his Department has taken to help encourage the voluntary return of illegal migrants; and if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of his voluntary return schemes for reducing illegal immigration.

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding his Department has provided for the operation of voluntary return schemes for illegal migrants in the 2023-24 financial year.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office will always look to support those who wish to depart the United Kingdom voluntarily, and the extent of that support is based on a case-by-case assessment of an individual’s needs. General eligibility criteria can be found online at: Get help to return home if you’re a migrant in the UK: Who can get help - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The Home Office publishes statistics on all types of removals from the UK, which include voluntary departures. The latest statistics are available at Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Published datasets for voluntary returns are available at: Returns and detention datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The cost of a voluntary return depends on the individual circumstances of the case, and therefore we are not able to provide a definitive figure.

Asylum: Hotels

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has published guidance on the treatment of women seeking asylum who are accommodated in hotels.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to take steps to provide women-only accommodation for women seeking asylum.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office has published the Asylum Support Contracts Safeguarding Framework at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-support-contracts-safeguarding-framework. This framework sets out a joint, overarching approach, as well as the key controls and reporting mechanisms in place, across the AASC contracts, for safeguarding arrangements.

Asylum: Hotels

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women seeking asylum are accommodated in hotels as of 30 November 2023.

Tom Pursglove: Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation (including in contingency hotels and other contingency accommodation) is published in table Asy_D11 here: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Data is published on a quarterly basis. The Home Office does not publish a breakdown of statistics which disaggregates the number of females in contingency accommodation by local authority.

Asylum: Children

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seeker children have been (a) wrongly assessed to be above eighteen and (b) housed in accommodation with adults in each of the last five years.

Tom Pursglove: These figures are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Age Assurance and Proof of Identity

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of asylum seeker (a)age verification and (b) identity checks.

Tom Pursglove: Where an individual claims to be a child without any documentary evidence, and where there is reason to doubt their claimed age, there is a need to assess their age. Determining the age of a young person is an inherently difficult task. Recent legislative reforms aim to make assessments more consistent and robust from the outset, with any disputed decisions resolved quickly and conclusively.This includes establishing a decision-making function within the Home Office, called the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB). The NAAB consists of expert social workers whose task is to conduct Merton compliant age assessments, increasing capacity and expertise in the system. The NAAB is in the process of recruiting and training suitably experienced social workers who can carry out age assessments on behalf of the Home Office and will expand into wider regions as social worker capacity builds up. We will continue to review and monitor the impact of this board.In addition, regulations laid by the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice were approved by Parliament in November 2023, which will authorise the use of X-rays in scientific age assessments, paving the way for the Home Office to improve their ability to effectively determine the age of illegal entrants making disputed claims to be children.As part of an asylum seeker’s identity checks we capture their biometric and biographical information and check them against a range of domestic and international law enforcement databases. We enrol the fingerprints of all asylum seekers aged five years or older and who are physically capable. This helps us to establish whether we have encountered them previously and helps to ensure they do not make multiple applications using multiple identities, and to identify those who pose a threat to public safety, our national security, or are likely to breach our laws. We can also check any documentary evidence they may have and authenticate them against document image archives and whether they have been reported lost or stolen.

Migrants: Childcare

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of children in families with no recourse to public funds who are unable to access 30 hours of free childcare for three and four-year-olds.

Tom Pursglove: The No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition applies to millions of people, the vast majority of whom are visitors or other temporary migrants who have no need for public funds during their stay. It also applies to those without status, many of whom may not be in touch with the Home Office. The Home Office’s Chief Statistician wrote to the Office for Statistics Regulation on 3 July 2020 to explain why the Home Office does not feel that it is of practical application to produce an estimate of the total population subject to NRPF present in the UK at any one time. His letter can be found at: https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence/response-from-daniel-shaw-to-ed-humpherson-parliamentary-question-response/. To note, 30 hours’ free childcare is not considered a ‘public fund’ for immigration purposes. However, the eligibility criteria, as set by the Department for Education, requires at least one parent to have permission to access public funds, which means it may not be available to all families. Parents with NRPF are able to access the 15 hours’ free early education entitlement available for all three and four year olds regardless of their family circumstances and, if eligible, 15 hours’ free early education for disadvantaged two year olds. These 15-hour entitlements primarily benefit the child and their educational development and outcomes. While there are some benefits to parents in reduced childcare fees, this is not the main purpose of these entitlements. The 30 hours’ free childcare entitlement is primarily focused on supporting the parent(s) into work.

Asylum: Children

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take legislative steps to remove the power for his Department to accommodate children in the Illegal Migration Act 2023.

Tom Pursglove: The Illegal Migration Act received Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. The Act seeks to ensure the only way to come to the UK for protection will be through safe and legal routes and will take power out of the hands of the criminal gangs and protect vulnerable people, including children. Following the High Court ECPAT judgment and Supreme Court judgment on Rwanda, the Government is carefully reflecting on commencement of the powers in the Act, including those relating to the accommodation and transfer of unaccompanied children. These powers have not yet been commenced and a decision will be made in due course. The Act does not change a local authority’s statutory obligations to children from the date of arrival and that the best place for an unaccompanied child is in the care of a local authority. This is something the Government was consistently clear about during the Illegal Migration Act’s passage through Parliament.

Asylum: Children

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Children’s Commissioner's report entitled Unaccompanied children in need of care published November 2023, for what reasons his Department did not return the information requested by the Commissioner on whether (a) safeguarding referrals were made and (b) healthcare support was received; and if he will provide this information for the 5,298 children housed in hotels between July 2021 and May 2023.

Tom Pursglove: For those young people determined to be under 18 who have entered the UK without a parent or guardian, we will endeavour to place them with a local authority as soon as possible after their entry into the country. For young people placed in emergency interim hotels, safeguarding procedures are in place to ensure they are safe and supported whilst we seek urgent placements with a local authority. Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses. The Home Office have confirmed the completion of the required Data Protection Impact Assessment for the Children’s Commissioner’s report. However there has been some delay in agreeing the final version. Further more, there are elements of the data which have been requested that are not in electronically retrievable form. The Home Office will not be able to provide the data as it would require a high level of manual resource to obtain.

Passports: Postal Services

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 15 September 2023 to Question 198404 on Passports: Postal Services and to the press release entitled Royal Mail wins HM Passport Office contract published by Royal Mail press on 17 July 2023, what account his decision to award that contract with HM Passport Office and other government offices took of the Ofcom investigation started on 15 May 2023 into Royal Mail’s compliance with its quality-of-service performance targets in 2022-23.

Tom Pursglove: The contract was awarded to Royal Mail on 22 October 2022, prior to the opening of the Ofcom investigation.

Bedfordshire Police: Pay

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average salary of a member of Bedfordshire police force was in each of the last three years.

Chris Philp: Salaries for police officers in England and Wales are determined by the Home Secretary, following advice and recommendations from the independent Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB). The Government has no statutory role in determining the pay and conditions for police staff, which are agreed locally by Chief Constables in consultation with trade unions.The Home Office does not publish information on the average salary of police officers and police staff by police force area.The minimum and maximum rates of basic pay for police officers in England and Wales for each of the last three years are in the table below.  Table 1: Basic pay for police officers, England and Wales With effect 1 September 2021 With effect 1 September 2022With effect 1 September 2023Constable£19,164 - £41,130£23,556 - £43,032£28,551 - £46,044Sergeant£43,965 - £46,227£45,687 - £48,129£49,077 - £51,498Inspector£52,698 - £57,162£54,600 - £59,064£58,422 -£63,198Chief Inspector£58,332 - £60,732£60,234 - £62,634£64,449 - £67,017Superintendent£70,173 - £82,881£72,075 - £84,783£77,121 - £90,717Chief Superintendent£86,970 - £91,749£88,872 - £93,651£95,094 - £103,242Assistant Chief Constable£105,600 - £119,220£107,502 - £121,122£115,026 -£129,600Deputy Chief Constable£122,628 - £156,693£124,530 - £158,595£133,248 - £169,698Chief Constable£146,469 - £204,372£148,371 -£206,274£158,757 - £220,713Chief constables and deputy chief constables are paid a spot rate salary determined by the size of the force and level of crime demand.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy: Billing

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of differences in the time taken for (a) British Gas and (b) other energy providers to (i) increase the value of direct debits when accounts are in debt and (ii) reduce the value of direct debits when accounts are in credit.

Amanda Solloway: The aim of a direct debit payment arrangement should be for the customer to have a zero balance on their accounts at the end of a year. In August 2022, Ofgem changed the licence conditions on suppliers to ensure that direct debits are based on the best and most current information available. Energy suppliers typically review their customers’ direct debit arrangements twice a year and this should be based on an actual meter reading to ensure payments are set at the correct level to avoid a large credit or debit balance building up.

Electricity and Natural Gas: Consumption

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2023 to Question 3974 on Electricity and Natural Gas: Prices, whether the Typical Domestic Consumption Value is assessed as being the same across Great Britain.

Amanda Solloway: The Typical Domestic Consumption Value is the average actual measured consumption by consumers and is the same across Great Britain. The revised values were also subject to public consultation, which may be found at www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/call-input-review-typical-domestic-consumption-values-2023.

Electricity and Natural Gas: Consumption

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2023 to Question 3974 on Electricity and Natural Gas: Prices, if she will direct Ofgem to publish the information it holds on the typical domestic consumption values for each region.

Amanda Solloway: It is for Ofgem to determine whether to publish typical domestic consumption values for each region.

Electricity and Natural Gas: Consumption

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2023 to Question 3974 on Electricity and Natural Gas: Prices, whether the Typical Domestic Consumption Value for England and Wales is lower than that for Scotland.

Amanda Solloway: There is not a separate Typical Domestic Consumption Value (TDCV) for England, Wales, and Scotland. The TDCV is the average actual measured consumption by consumers across GB.

Electricity and Natural Gas: Consumption

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2023 to Question 3974, whether Ofgem takes into account trends in the level of fuel poverty in areas off the gas grid in determining Typical Domestic Consumption Values.

Amanda Solloway: The Typical Domestic Consumption Values (TDVCs) are the average actual measured consumption by consumers across Great Britain. TDVCs are calculated on the basis of meter level data, not trends in fuel poverty in areas off the gas grid. The revised values were subject to public consultation, which may be found at www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/call-input-review-typical-domestic-consumption-values-2023

Electricity and Natural Gas: Consumption

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2023 to Question 3974 on Electricity and Natural Gas: Prices, what steps Ofgem took to ensure that (a) geography and (b) climate were taken into consideration when updating the Typical Domestic Consumption Value.

Amanda Solloway: The Typical Domestic Consumption Value is the average actual measured consumption by consumers across Great Britain. The revised values were also subject to public consultation, which may be found at www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/call-input-review-typical-domestic-consumption-values-2023.

Heating: Biofuels

Keir Mather: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department is taking steps to encourage rural households to transition to the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel for domestic heating.

Graham Stuart: On 5 September 2023, during Parliamentary debates on the Energy Act, the Government committed to exploring the potential of renewable liquid fuels for heat by issuing a consultation within 12 months. The Government has also taken powers in the Energy Act to impose obligations on heating fuel suppliers to increase the supply of renewable liquid heating fuels, should that be necessary.

Climate Change

Dame Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an estimate of the cost of climate change to the UK economy in 2050.

Graham Stuart: As the OBR noted in its July 2021 Fiscal Risks Report, “the costs of failing to get climate change under control would be much larger than those of bringing emissions down to net zero”. The OBR’s unmitigated warming scenario showed debt spiralling up to over 130 per cent of UK GDP by 2050 and around 290 per cent by the end of the century as a result of the cost of adapting to an ever hotter climate.

Offshore Industry: Falkland Islands

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of extracting (a) oil and (b) gas from around the Falkland Islands on (i) the UK's and (ii) the Falkland Islands' energy security.

Graham Stuart: UK energy security remains dependent on having access to international oil and gas markets. It is within this context that any Falklands production would contribute to domestic security of supply. Assessing the extent to which any locally produced hydrocarbons might contribute to the security of energy supply of the Falkland Islands is something the Government will leave to the Falkland Islands Government.

Electricity Generation: Costs

Dame Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the evidential basis is for the (a) assumptions on renewables costs, (b) assumptions on capacity factors and (c) other assumptions in the technical annex to the Electricity Generation Costs 2023 report.

Graham Stuart: DESNZ regularly reviews its evidence base and commissions research to update cost and technical assumptions where necessary. The costs, capacity factors, and other assumptions presented in Annex A of the Generation Costs Report 2023, are primarily based on the externally commissioned research supplemented by internal evidence as appropriate. These assumptions are clearly described and referenced in the reports. The Introduction page to the 2023 report includes changes in assumptions from the previous report.

Tidal Power

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her policy is on new tidal energy projects.

Graham Stuart: Tidal stream is eligible for the Contracts for Difference scheme, which is the Government’s main mechanism for supporting low carbon electricity generation. So far through this scheme an unprecedented 93.86MW of tidal stream generation has been secured. The budget and final parameters for the next Allocation Round will be published in March 2024.

Energy: Conservation

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans her Department has to reduce domestic energy consumption by 15 per cent by 2030.

Graham Stuart: The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this Parliament on clean heat and improving energy efficiency in buildings. In addition, £6 billion of new Government funding will be made available from 2025 to 2028. The Government will deliver upgrades to over half a million homes in the coming years through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Home Upgrade Grant, Boiler Upgrade Scheme, Great British Insulation scheme and Energy Company Obligation.

Ministry of Defence

Shipbuilding: Expenditure

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of his Department's spending on (a) shipbuilding and (b) ship repair was in the (i) 2020-21, (ii) 2021-22 and (iii) 2022-23 financial year.

James Cartlidge: Departmental spending on shipbuilding is set out in the table below:  Financial Year2020-212021-222022-23Total Shipbuilding Programme £million774.6913.21069.7  The following table sets out spending on ship repair:   Financial Year20-2121-2222-23In Service Support: Surface Fleet & Submarine Equipment: Revenue Expenditure £million939.61,012.201,029.00 “Ship repair” has been interpreted to include all in service support costs allocated to our fleet. As such, the values provided represent the total revenue expenditure (RDEL) costs for our Equipment Support Plan (ESP) for the years in question. Due to how the activity is often contracted, it is not possible to separate out costs for the surface fleet from those relating to submarines and capability equipment such as information warfare.

National Shipbuilding Office: Civil Servants

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civil servants work in the National Shipbuilding Office.

James Cartlidge: I refer the hon. member to the answer provided to the right hon Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) on 30 November in response to Question 3701. National Shipbuilding Office: Staff (docx, 14.8KB)

Shipbuilding: Departmental Coordination

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the membership of the inter-ministerial group on shipbuilding.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what dates the inter-ministerial group on shipbuilding met in 2023.

James Cartlidge: The Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) on Shipbuilding is chaired by the Defence Secretary as Shipbuilding Tsar. Attendance at the IMG varies depending on the agenda but will normally include representation from the following Departments: Ministry of DefenceHome OfficeHis Majesty’s TreasuryDepartment for TransportDepartment for Business and TradeDepartment for EducationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroDepartment for Science, Innovation and Technology The IMG meets on a bi-annual basis and met on 26 April and 28 November 2023.

Ministry of Defence: Food

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department's spending on (a) food and (b) beverages was in the (i) 2019-20, (ii) 2020-21, (iii) 2021-22 and (iv) 2022-23 financial year.

James Cartlidge: The information requested is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: Plants

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department's spending on plants was in the (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22 and (d) 2022-23 financial year.

James Cartlidge: The information requested is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: Pay

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of staff directly employed by his Department in London are paid less than the London Living Wage.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff members employed by his Department who are based outside London are paid less than £12 an hour.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Pay rates are set by employers, providing they pay at least the Government’s National Living Wage (NLW) hourly rate. Ministry of Defence (MOD) pays above the Government’s NLW rate. The Living Wage Foundation is an initiative by Citizens UK which employers can sign up to on a voluntary basis. As at 1 November 2023, there are 60 individuals within the core workforce with a work region of London that are paid less than the LWF’s London living wage (£13.15). This equates to 1.36 per cent of the MOD London workforce. There are 1,457 individuals based outside of London (including overseas) that are paid less than £12 an hour.

Israel: Military Aid

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has undertaken an Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessment for providing (a) assistance and (b) arms to Israel since 7 October 2023.

James Heappey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 29 November 2023, to Question 3678. Israel: Military Aid (docx, 15.0KB)

Portsmouth Dockyard: Flood Control

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to protect HMNB Portsmouth from flooding.

James Cartlidge: His Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth has recently commissioned and received a detailed Flood Risk Assessment. The data included in this assessment and in planned follow-on work will inform our infrastructure programme for the Naval Base. HMNB is also working in collaboration with the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust.

Armed Forces Covenant

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to extend the duty of due regard under the Armed Forces Covenant to (a) UK Government and (b) devolved administrations before the next General Election.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to extend the duty of due regard under the Armed Forces Covenant to cover (a) social care, (b) employment, (c) pensions, (d) compensation and (e) immigration before the next General Election.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Since 2011, when the Armed Forces Covenant came into existence in its current form, central and devolved Governments have taken forward many initiatives to the benefit of serving personnel, veterans, and their families. However, we recognise that a clearer public acknowledgement of their role in supporting the Covenant could be beneficial. I have therefore instructed my officials to further explore how central Government and the Devolved Administrations could strengthen their commitment, and to see what more can be done in terms of the Legal Duty. This work will be taken forward over the next year and will also encompass the consideration of widening the scope of the Duty to other policy areas.

Ministry of Defence: Photography and Video Recordings

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) photographers; and (b) videographers have been employed by his Department since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: This information is not held in the specific detail requested as there is no Grade or Job on HRMS and MyHR that can be used to determine if someone is a photographer or a videographer. The below table is a count of individuals part of the core workforce who have been hired or moved into a position that indicates it was position associated with photography or videography at the point the individual moved into it between 1 January 2010 and 30 November 2023. Types of moves include External Hire, Hire from OGD, or Internal Hire or Post Rotation. YearPhotographerVideographerBothGrand Total2010300320110202201210012013010120142002201510012016000020171102201820022019100120202002202100112022001120230112Grand Total135321

Defence Serious Crime Unit

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many investigations the Defence Serious Crime Unit has (a) launched and (b) completed in 2023.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many investigations the Defence Serious Crime Unit has launched into (a) sexual assault, (b) rape, (c) murder and (d) manslaughter.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Defence Serious Crime Unit (DSCU) was established on 5 December 2022; official statistics for 2023 will be published in March 2024. Statistics specifically in respect of sexual assault, rape, murder and manslaughter investigated by the DSCU can be found within the Official Statistics on Murder, Manslaughter, Sexual Offences and Domestic Abuse in the Service Justice System 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/murder-manslaughter-sexual-offences-and-domestic-abuse-in-the-service-justice-system-2022.

Armed Forces: Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many unoccupied service family accommodation properties there are in the defence estate.

James Cartlidge: As at 30 November 2023, there are 9,121 unoccupied Service Family Accommodation homes in the UK across the Defence estate, of these, 1,931 are under offer to Service families. A significant number of properties are vacant to allow for essential repairs and modernisation. A nationwide programme of refurbishment works is underway to improve around 1,000 homes. Others are set aside for future basing requirements, including forthcoming changes to accommodation entitlements under the New Accommodation Offer, which will significantly increase those entitled to SFA.Others are earmarked for disposal, demolition or to hand back to Annington Property Limited.

Kevin McCool

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Major Kevin McCool was posted to (a) the High Commission in Nairobi or (b) a military base in Kenya.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence confirmed the tragic death of Major Kevin McCool last week, who passed away on Wednesday 29 November whilst off-duty in Kenya. Major Kevin McCool was posted to the British High Commission in Nairobi, where he was based during his time in Kenya. The Secretary of State for Defence joined Maj McCool’s colleagues in paying tribute to him as an ‘exceptional soldier, who was loved and respected in equal measure’ and ‘who served his country with distinction.’

Department for Transport

Oil: Pollution

Sally-Ann Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) potential impact of uninsured tankers carrying Russian oil on the risk of oil spills and (b) adequacy of preparations to protect the UK (i) coast and (ii) marine environment in the event of an oil spill.

Guy Opperman: The UK, together with international partners, has implemented extensive sanctions against Russia following its illegal invasion of Ukraine. This includes sanctions which have targeted oil, Russia’s greatest source of revenue. Illegal circumvention of those sanctions is unacceptable, which is why the Government is seeking multilateral action through the International Maritime Organization (IMO), such as the recent resolution on ship-to-ship (STS) transfers at sea by the dark fleet which was co-sponsored by the UK and other G7 nations to tackle the environmental risk. This resolution presents strong recommendations to improve awareness and monitoring of STS transfers in countries’ waters, stronger adherence to international regulations and conventions, and a greater awareness of the fraudulent and deceptive activities by vessels in the ‘dark fleet’. Through these actions, the Government intends to highlight on the global stage the illegality of Russia’s actions and reduce the pollution risk by outlining the strong response that will be delivered to violations of sanctions. The UK has well-established plans/protocols for the response to an oil spill. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is the National Competent Authority for at-sea pollution response. The MCA Counter Pollution and Salvage (CPS), under the direction of HM Coastguard, are custodians of the national pollution response resources which comprise specialist oil containment and recovery equipment and dispersant. These are supported by manned aircraft for spill surveillance, verification and quantification and a suite of aerial dispersant spraying capability. Personnel and resources are in place 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year and provide an incident management and response capability anywhere within the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Regular exercises are undertaken to test national multi-agency spill response procedures. The MCA does not have responsibility for pollution response on the UK shoreline; this is vested in the local authorities and devolved nations . However, the MCA CPS will support pollution response along the UK shoreline using the other nationally held containment and recovery capability held in the stockpiles. Incident management, specialist response teams, and liaison personnel are also available. As with at-sea pollution response, regular engagement with local authorities in response exercises is undertaken. The resources held by the MCA are those commensurate with a Tier 3 national response requirement as described within the National Contingency Plan for Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations.

Driving

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2023 to Question 3454 on Driving, what steps his Department plans to take to implement the smoother journeys measures in the Plan for Drivers; and what his Department's planned timetable is for implementing those measures.

Guy Opperman: Work is already underway for each of the 30 measures in “The Plan for Drivers”, with many expected to be completed by summer 2024.Among the actions on smoother journeys that we expect to take in the next couple of months are to publish refreshed guidance on making better use of bus lanes and smarter road closures, and to launch public consultations on fixing roads faster and encouraging efficient street works. In addition, the Live Labs 2 programme is in place and will continue through to May 2031.

Women and Equalities

Conversion Therapy

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what her planned timetable is to publish the responses to her Department's consultation on banning conversion therapy.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to publish a response to the consultation entitled Banning conversion therapy, published on 29 October 2021.

Stuart Andrew: No one in this country should be harmed or harassed for who they are and attempts at so-called ‘conversion therapy’ are abhorrent. That is why we are carefully considering this very complex issue. We will be setting out further details on this in due course.

Conversion Therapy

Peter Gibson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with which stakeholders she has held discussions on a ban on conversion practices for LGBT people.

Peter Gibson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of legislation in other countries which bans conversion practices for LGBT people.

Stuart Andrew: Equality Hub Ministers and officials have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders on the subject of conversion practices, including representatives of LGBT organisations and counterparts in international jurisdictions, in order to fully inform our approach to this complex issue. This engagement consists of, but is not limited to, holding conversations with victims and survivors, LGBT groups, healthcare professionals, faith groups, groups advocating for sex-based rights and parliamentarians. Several international jurisdictions have passed legislation in this area recently, and our analysis of their approaches is ongoing.

Department for Business and Trade

Financial Services: Switzerland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will take steps to negotiate closer cooperation with the Swiss financial services industry.

Greg Hands: The Department for Business and Trade is negotiating an enhanced Free Trade Agreement with Switzerland that will deepen UK-Swiss financial services ties and provide long-term certainty and greater market access for UK-Swiss services trade, which was worth £27.1 billion in the 12 months to June 2023. This will be complementary to the Mutual Recognition Agreement in Financial Services, which HM Treasury is negotiating with the Swiss Finance Ministry, the agreement remains on course to be signed before the end of the year.

Trade Agreements: Switzerland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure that a UK-Switzerland trade deal includes provisions for the (a) digital, (b) data and (c) investment sectors.

Greg Hands: The Department for Business and Trade is making good progress in negotiations on an enhanced UK-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement. Both the UK and Switzerland agree this should include outcomes in areas such as digital, data and investment. For investment, UK negotiators are seeking legally guaranteed preferential access to the Swiss market for UK investors and companies. On digital, the UK aims to enhance trade commitments such as those supporting paperless trading. For data, UK objectives include seeking to prevent unjustified localisation, facilitating the free flow of data, and upholding the UK’s high standard of personal data protection.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Television: Rural Areas

Simon Fell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the needs of rural communities in her Department’s review of the future of TV distribution; and whether Ofcom plans to conduct a similar review.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government’s recently launched research and engagement programme will look at how UK audiences, including those in rural communities, will get their TV in the decades to come, across digital terrestrial television (DTT), satellite, cable, and online.Before any decisions about the future of TV distribution are made, close consideration will be given to how any changes would impact audiences, and especially those who rely on DTT as their primary means of watching television.Ofcom is the UK’s independent broadcasting regulator, and it is for Ofcom to determine the scope of their work. However, as set out in the Broadcasting White Paper, the Government asked Ofcom to continue to track changes in DTT viewing and to undertake an early review on market changes that may affect the future of content distribution before the end of 2025. To that end, Ofcom recently published a call for evidence on the future of TV distribution, which includes how audience trends are changing and how the use of TV platforms varies between different demographics.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: ICT

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Central Digital & Data Office's guidance entitled, Guidance on the Legacy IT Risk Assessment Framework, published 29 September 2023, how many red-rated IT systems are used by her Department as of 21 November 2023.

Sir John Whittingdale: The annual cost (Financial Year) to the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) on IT Infrastructure are:IT Infrastructure (FY 2022-23) - £1,838,272IT Infrastructure - pre 2013 - £nil*Legacy IT Infrastructure - £nil**The DCMS Technology service is 100% cloud based, adopting a consumption based delivery model, consuming predominantly Software as a Service (SaaS) & Platform as a service (PaaS), services.The DCMS Technology Service was established in 2021, there is no legacy infrastructure, all services have been transformed as part of the initial transformation programme undertaken in 2021.As of 21 November 2023, DCMS has zero (0) red-rated IT systems.* DCMS Technology Service was established in 2021, prior to the service existing, IT services were provided through a Shared IT service model, delivered through the Cabinet Office.** The DCMS Technology Service is relatively new, there is no legacy infrastructure due to the service model being 100% cloud based, adopting a Software as a Service (SaaS) based consume delivery model.

Treasury

Cost of Living

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 4 July 2023 to Question 191405 on Pay, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies on tackling the cost of living of the findings in the Competition and Markets Authority report entitled Price inflation and competition in food and grocery manufacturing and supply, published on 29 November 2023.

Laura Trott: Bringing down inflation remains a government priority. UK food price inflation has been driven largely by global factors including a spike in energy prices and international agricultural prices. However, UK food price inflation has already fallen from 19.6% in April 2023 to 10.1% in October 2023 and external forecasts expect it to continue to fall. Across the economy we have halved inflation from 10.7% in late 2022 down to 4.6% in October 2023.